Best food to buy ?

[joojoobeans]

I have male pacific parrotlet about 10 months old. He's been eating this since I got him when he was around 4 months old: Hartz: Medium Bird Diet Food, 10 Lb - Walmart.com

but the bag is almost gone and I want to switch to Volkman Avian Science super Parrotlet...
He gets carrots and some other vegetables besides that....

 

[Lady Jane]

Please do not buy any more of that food as it is low quality for nutrition. I suggest Harrisons extra fine pellets with the red label. Seed is fine, in moderation. Volkmans is a good quality seed and both products cannot be purchased in a pet store.

The diet for this bird is about 70-percent fresh foods including fruit, vegetables, greens, sprouted seed, cooked grains, legumes, whole-grain bread, nuts (limited) and egg food. The remainder of the diet is seed, specifically Volkman’s Parrotlet Super. Supplements are vitamins, calcium (to breeder birds) and bee pollen (pinch), which are sprinkled on the fresh food, and wheat grass powder several times a week added to the egg food. Amazon sells a combo mineral block and cuddle bone for health.

There is more good information here: Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Parrotlets In Aviculture - Caring for Your Parrotlet

 

[joojoobeans]

cuddle bone lol

that combo is sold out on amazon.. but found these:
Enriched Cuttlebones, Bird Mineral Treats & Cuttlebones for Sale Online | PetSolutions

 

[Mr Peepers]

Hi and welcome to the forum, can I assume your cute parrotlet is named "joojoobeans?" He's certainly cute bird.

 

[joojoobeans]

hi

 

[BeakyBird]

Honestly, it hasn't been proven or disproven that pellets are good or bad for the parrotlets. My bird will not eat pellets, so I give him fresh fruits/veggies, and seed. Afterall, there are no pellets in the wild. A good small hookbill mix will include no artificial coloring, and safflower NOT sunflower seeds.

 

[Odin]

This is a good forum. I will try the pellets again. But there is a lot of "debate" around them.... I feed a lot of real food to my fids, they get seed too but I feel like there are no good foods.

 

[Calpurnia]

Oh man what a cutie! I agree that the Walmart seed mix is definitely not the best, but the Volkman parrotlet blend is good if your guy won't take to pellets. If you do go with only seed, one really great way to boost it's nutritional value is by sprouting! Sprouting reduces the fat, increased the protein, and boosts the levels of key nutrients in seed. Since most seed loving birds will accept it right away, it's a great way to make sure your bird is getting enough fresh food.

Just to give you an idea of what I feed my parrotlet: 1 tbsp "chop", 1 tsp pellets, 1 tsp fresh sprouts, and 1 tsp "other" (e.g. millet, Green Chunks, cooked food mix, Nutriberries, etc).

Variety is probably the most important part of a parrots diet so offering an assortment of different foods along with his seed will ensure he has a balance diet.

 

[Bruce & Karen]

Was just reading that parrotlets NEED sunflower seeds.

 

[Milo]

Was just reading that parrotlets NEED sunflower seeds.

This thread is pretty old, I"m unsure if the OP is still around this forum. I am curious about the source for sunflower seeds?